Ina Garten

The title came from a very dear friend of mine, Rob Marshall, who's the Broadway and movie director, was when he was on Broadway, I think he was 23 or 24, he was the dance captain for Liza Minnelli's show. And Liza said to him, be ready when the luck happens. And he never forgot it. And what she was saying is, do the work. So when the luck happens, you're ready for it. Preparation. And I was...

Almost done with the book. I didn't have a title. I was just coming to terms with the idea that I actually, yes, I'd been lucky, but I was ready when it happened. I'd done the work so that I was ready when it happened. And I thought, oh, my God, that's what my life has been about. is getting ready, so I'm there when a lot happens. And that's why, so I asked if I could use that as a title.

Almost done with the book. I didn't have a title. I was just coming to terms with the idea that I actually, yes, I'd been lucky, but I was ready when it happened. I'd done the work so that I was ready when it happened. And I thought, oh, my God, that's what my life has been about. is getting ready, so I'm there when a lot happens. And that's why, so I asked if I could use that as a title.

Almost done with the book. I didn't have a title. I was just coming to terms with the idea that I actually, yes, I'd been lucky, but I was ready when it happened. I'd done the work so that I was ready when it happened. And I thought, oh, my God, that's what my life has been about. is getting ready, so I'm there when a lot happens. And that's why, so I asked if I could use that as a title.

And that's why I told the story. I know you have the same experience. It's in a different format, but still we have the same experience. I wanted people not to know that I had a terrible childhood. Certainly people have had worse childhoods than I did. But I wanted them to know that you can...

And that's why I told the story. I know you have the same experience. It's in a different format, but still we have the same experience. I wanted people not to know that I had a terrible childhood. Certainly people have had worse childhoods than I did. But I wanted them to know that you can...

And that's why I told the story. I know you have the same experience. It's in a different format, but still we have the same experience. I wanted people not to know that I had a terrible childhood. Certainly people have had worse childhoods than I did. But I wanted them to know that you can...

You can make a decision with enormous determination and change your life and not make that the definition of your life. And I just remember when I was 15, I remember making that decision. I wasn't going to live like this. That if I was dating somebody who so much has raised his voice to me, I was out of there.

You can make a decision with enormous determination and change your life and not make that the definition of your life. And I just remember when I was 15, I remember making that decision. I wasn't going to live like this. That if I was dating somebody who so much has raised his voice to me, I was out of there.

You can make a decision with enormous determination and change your life and not make that the definition of your life. And I just remember when I was 15, I remember making that decision. I wasn't going to live like this. That if I was dating somebody who so much has raised his voice to me, I was out of there.

That I wanted to be with somebody who was supportive and positive, and I wanted to surround myself with people that were positive.

That I wanted to be with somebody who was supportive and positive, and I wanted to surround myself with people that were positive.

That I wanted to be with somebody who was supportive and positive, and I wanted to surround myself with people that were positive.

And, you know, it's interesting because when Jeffrey, I met Jeffrey when I was 17 and he thought I had the perfect family. Yes, yes. And he thought, you know, my father was a doctor. My mother ran a real estate business. I mean, it all looked perfect. We're very, you know, upper middle class. I went to great schools and, you know, everything looked great.

And, you know, it's interesting because when Jeffrey, I met Jeffrey when I was 17 and he thought I had the perfect family. Yes, yes. And he thought, you know, my father was a doctor. My mother ran a real estate business. I mean, it all looked perfect. We're very, you know, upper middle class. I went to great schools and, you know, everything looked great.

And, you know, it's interesting because when Jeffrey, I met Jeffrey when I was 17 and he thought I had the perfect family. Yes, yes. And he thought, you know, my father was a doctor. My mother ran a real estate business. I mean, it all looked perfect. We're very, you know, upper middle class. I went to great schools and, you know, everything looked great.

And yet it was, the more I look back, and I think as a child, I didn't understand that it was so different, that it was so wrong. I just thought this is the way people grow up. And I think it took me until I was maybe 40 to really sort out how stressful that situation was and how wrong it was.

And yet it was, the more I look back, and I think as a child, I didn't understand that it was so different, that it was so wrong. I just thought this is the way people grow up. And I think it took me until I was maybe 40 to really sort out how stressful that situation was and how wrong it was.

And yet it was, the more I look back, and I think as a child, I didn't understand that it was so different, that it was so wrong. I just thought this is the way people grow up. And I think it took me until I was maybe 40 to really sort out how stressful that situation was and how wrong it was.

Thanks for including the pictures. Oh, thank you. Most memoirs have the pictures in the well, in the middle, and you have to sort out where's that picture from. Yes, yes, yes. My book designer, Mary Sarah Quinn, and I decided we wanted it to be a picture in the beginning of a chapter and a picture at the end of the chapter, and maybe even a recipe from the story.